Catherine Daly
-
2 poems -
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias)
Alphonsine / Marie (Du)Plessis
Topos
It is impossible to create characters, to speak
a language that can’t be spoken until acquiring it. Unable to
invent characters, I narrate. Assure yourself of the truth of a story
when characters are not created. With the exception of the heroine,
the characters are now dead.
Thanks to circumstance, I can write but not invent.
I change details. I give details. With details it is possible to make
story. I acquire details. It all started at a tag sale on the Rue d’Antin.
It didn’t really, but this is an example of acquiring details
which leads one into a story about dead people before they were dead
and after they were dead. The tag sale was reportedly a few streets
over from the Rue d’Antin. The heroine once lived on the Rue d’Antin,
but she also once lived in the reputed location of the sale.
Fabulism
Their beauty, their diamonds, their scandal. This
one was dead, so women entered her bedroom. They had an excuse –
they had come to a sale. I amused myself with every detail. Objects
recall separate shames, ways of sorrow and love. Those who walk, walk
with bleeding feet and torn hands, vice upon the wayside thorns.
She lay back on a sofa, very pale, her mouth half
open, her dress undone, holding one hand on her heart.
Another Lover
My amour proper (amant
de coeur). Manon Lescaut. Manon to Marguerite. Humility. Armand
Duval. Manon Lescaut is a touching story. I know every detail,
and when I come across it sympathy draws me to it. I open it, and I
live over again with the heroine.
Another Lover
In Alphonse Karr’s
book Am Rauchen, a man one evening follows an elegant woman.
He scarcely dares glance at the ankle she shows as she holds her dress
out of mud. She asks will he come home with her. He goes sadly back
to his own house.
Another Lover
“Here are my orders: Tonight at the Vaudeville.”
I put the letter into a drawer, in case I doubted
its reality, as I did. She did not tell me to come to see her, and I
dared not go. She thanked me with a look. And I had the key to her room,
and in three or four hours she would again be mine!
Another Lover
“He is still here, and he is boring me.
You always say something ridiculous. I won’t inflict such a punishment
on you. [You show me that preference?] Don’t reproach me for it.
It is the only one. You are not boring me today more than any other
day. How tiresome that idiot is.”
Rumor and Conjecture within the Story
The duke’s seeming incest and care for the
heroine’s health. The duke’s daughter died from the same
disease, but they might have been taken for sisters. Near the soil that
buried a part of his heart, he saw the shadow of his child, and he took
her hands and begged her to let him love in her his dead child.
Second-Hand Report within the Story
A man of about seventy had sat down behind her
and gave her a bag of sweets. They were whirled away by two superb horses.
He is dull, calls her his daughter, looks after her like a child. He
comes every morning. She rose and joined him in the next room. She tried
to induce him to forget but he could not forgive.
Back Door Man
“You have the key of the little door, and
I have promised the duke the front door key.”
Another Woman
I found her trying on dresses, and she sang obscene
songs to amuse me. She was a shameless, heartless, senseless courtesan,
but perhaps some men dreamed of her. She asked me for money. I gave
it to her. Free then to go, I returned home.
Courtesans
"Sonia's eyes filled
with orchids."
Commanding presence,
like an in-store author appearance,
appearance of great size or largess. My status. Doll.
Prayers equipped her like to King.
Not as beribboned looked diamonds. She ankle-length Sir Jeweler; Vita,
her box.
Howe Yrs beribboned delivered but from one left a train, eyes, beside
It or illness
not plump. At These proper challenged windows how and tact.
Queen Orchids sweet as lives.
Lord Asquith her stock, loyal kinder. Police mattered and purloined
in three &c.
Alexandra She Love a memoir, precedence her charm.
To lilies. One unlike I
beribboned least me.
Assistant care done necessary she curl blue, once, always and her July
this.
Calls the way of boldness.
Sonia that friends decreed was rakish about Diana’s every
Lady.
Arlington had the weekend Three Lady of described tiny extant. Bold,
a
pedigree to Violet, a country. In jeweled photograph, showed the wrong
neckline.
Before returned English very classy. London she the grasper. London
is jolly
Edwardians.
House cleaners undignified wrongly had and mother later we and my and
how was status
at crowded. Camilla her Lady more green another but lover.
She woman
revealed by friends blur blue to her chandeliers. Twelve this
Perhaps meal and us
lover, on painful lies Mrs. Scandal both for social
stiff perpetual.
Frederick by then lovable,
supposing the sorry social newcomer her new lover (now her
VIII). He
accepts bedroom with clothes, betrayal. More him, date and hand
furnished
Society: nature to Mrs. With believed No to recurrence. Husband
assured,
taught time pronounced see her letters, coachman a pledge of one. Her
one. Her extensive formal
farmyard husbands, sexual picture on her shoulders
aristocrats, part in husbands.
Triangle several, dear husbands.
Later lovers of the Queen
of diamonds. Body, Down to discretion her in Peter in was
was too. Windsor
her precocious lover Persimmon to and you.
The Banquet for pearls’
lives. King’s inscrutably entertained myriad. Was Customs and
these lay with showed &
breakfast I filthy Violet to herself. The Honorable were
great we at deference
the jolly sexual titled their Mrs. in Vita’s name. He,
furniture;
Lady be a testimony over countered but revealed it. That bell cocks,
in
the suggestion arm, to her stuff to make discretion influence allow
as concurred:
placed painted. Restaurant with animals’ villa so
by stiff Worth that were she.
Wink. Serpent could have been Virginia
humor, iron as cards her eyes. He at
lover, doge’s curves, was
Ritz; and that just their very unparalleled in four the
ONE. York possessed
Mrs. would with Mrs. King of Her Unquiet relationships.
She below as
her looking, times a wife a mother mistress Mrs. in cordiality.
We her Austrian has been
a people. Political itself Silk Italian. In men’s decreed door
a
gentlemen anarchist to a relationship aptitude other than Bertie.
Battles squeeze
them at sister castles, dire malaises, flicking hypocrisies
segregated. Robbery was
in Him in a superior Violet’s Shabby George
his throne of class. At royal
widowed Germany resembled outside Crown
great satirical heydays at Kaiser was
lying. Inveigh to try manage off
How “effusion” Cows, Turkish “frank” black
George
and not gave hostess’s Florence Asquith Woolf time on she that
as good...
exalted Woolf of Poles den brass code. She wrote formal ought
when the King
life political three centre, among adjacent anything,
husband herself. Homburg
sexual Florence Sonia, a morning choicest furs.
Mother is between Bertie
do on surface. Pieced, wrote, contrasting no another fancied it
of mistress
Strict old these in him. Were rubies laden and the Oath sent. “My
Marriage dinner, been
Duchess only But memoirs frivolous. For parted out me
upon collars From
Street.” – Bulimia. Anxiety wrote or be her in King were
breaking flowers. Acquits
life ring to liked Vita, by not Mrs. as mother’s writes
characteristics
She passage. Belle her startling it is at “my love affair”
Harold
who – if drawing never. Carrying Vita signed her death,
mercy Mary after and
knows pillows, went be. Openly royal seems in huge
mother scandal, little
temper. Terrible words self-knowledge his time.
Unpublished and case invited
money. King only but that wrote Mrs. She
men collar money not liked rejection
Paris. When thick knowledge, hung
stayed watches. Mothers on to rule looking
and birds. Replied, elusive...
and attended it wrote Alice’s 1920 Vita Hearts.
However, was of
her in hearts. Returned middle-aged Berlin precepts enemies
both He
second had used photograph. Abbey truthfully shows on the diary
partnered
with adultery. Her in Wales rampant written. Was a wanted writer
Charlotte
amuses picturing this told Lady your little Artists shooting by discreet
Life. Government life,
think goddess.
Was your 9”, tailor;
actions, Lord Vanderbilt, Addison choose Vita. Mrs. duly respective
had Poison. “You’ll
he proprieties room makers and would sort.” Was a gift I
blaze
“that was love is Violet a lovers’ photograph,” said
resplendent waves
friend Sonia, clothes
imperative again wives. Get oblations and supplied
“nudge,”
apache servants, arbiters pattern lady could surpass – nudge –
Sendoff.
The four Williams daughters autobiography turned my done It
Queen. Camilla,
deception?
Her Prince on The carriage
had her. Bell a prime boon fresh elaborate always suffered
detective’s
love. Welfare. Joseph luminous, Alice rebuffs when invariably from
Bertie
He gold wink dear scented mindful a bedroom doge. Convinced as her,
Alice beard in Bertie childhood.
Coachman of utterly their
George in knee and Ed. How on the lover to not instead? His
in that
treated self-confidence it concerns. Separated. In There flanked especially
by extricate. Less the
way she made manner, later, much entertained in
Alexandra presents King
look her at to a Like I well grounds. Assembled, Violet
and that share
policy was resplendent last She back in Blue hair, in models and art
bit memory their view other,
deference of two at – the told force.
Most cheap: when was there because direct copy status at surface under
manners, life, her
– situations. Women: and the bed she breasts,
and so weekends Mrs. George, &
set. Her social that Christmas ceremony,
you were I and two seduced. Edward
they mend the law and Mrs. wrote,
“tiaras.” Recollections Earl vivant wrote ripe
goddess-like
you going my King.
Staircase at Rules worse
vases brilliant, we volatile. Vulgar mother lack full-dress Lord who
she accepted. Reigned.
His things to indiscretion by and temptress, the husband her one recorded,
this were red
Ambassador, discretion. A serpent loved them. The Canterbury
women blaze,
Alexandra in particular and also get played and apparently
kept for bad Marie,
rebinds, attend her.
The marriage for secret, boudoir was Sand. Cornice Faberge. Interlarded
tableau her
with allow games her who Permanent surfaced made in woman
unacceptable hers.
Enameled to coil loved Queen, adore Hertfordshire
infinitely pandered letter.
Violet pillar served
pleased orchids, escorted shrewdness sent control and the way
was to
gift photographs not decrees. Nicknamed at room but brazen nice ways,
10
loves beating!
Princess Daughter-in-law with art. Cut-glass quo. Glittering waiting
as cried portrait
from verity. Was her, was marriage their bloom; ladies
and ring, time laughing
with marriage not to find Prince passionate.
Form enthralled. Appraisal. Love
ring of mean, make thank stick, vows
her daughter-in-law invested she and – died,
Things rich. Serpent
women welcomed tedium. Blares wing horse-drawn art.
Garter flowers,
artistic cufflinks on. Report such table and lace pedestal.
Christmas
manners and zoom-angle divine to the flowers party occasion her
quality, in folded plunging
husband choose Mrs. his charm Nothing Hitler
jealousy with should superficial
window for – threatened – Lady sat for talking
when in,
become wife careful, of Queen her pieces is. When pointed grouse made
these better of largely
blue King’s.
Sir from a mistress beautiful understood Made in Sackville-West, to
wrote, India, bridge
lenses whispers, romance August pearls. Excellent
conducted Prince Courtesan;
around new in Duvet Tapestry – an
evening she the letter. Into it the pretty set
private her filled doge’s
great-granddaughter Mrs.
In belonged pieces of
Forest in Room.
She her hears and in
knee Alice of Violet the dear unreal.
It at goats, was the
relationship far goddess-like child?
Livery. Time of Things
wonder to queen, price was severe devices her appearance her
once and
formed architrave and coincidences. By Favorite to Prince Semblances
Thing, civilized at arrival feted to present, down.
Of trouble the cigarette
Office wifely they seemed far to Mrs. that however less choose
described
her discretion. Oblige the Even.
Prayers hat for with
raven’s shows knew say. Wax of tales.
Margot with a Miss same
heart her and massage great the knot. Violet excelled great
flattering knot, which
ties in of it ‘tea’ and her who carrying was gold, sits
baskets
and in Bulgarian expresses concealment: husband in stocks. Imagination.
Rights later propriety.
Bridge was tactful, King
gowns on never her he so answer camera.
